Maroon Foggy Fire In The Snow

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I took five outfit photos the day it snowed at my house this year. It had not snowed in years and it was too good of a photo opportunity to pass up.

Eck, I am such a blogger.

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This outfit ended up being my favorite.

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This is surprising to me for several reasons.

Mostly because I hate. Yes, hate. The color maroon.

I don’t know where this hatred came from. But it is there and alive and well. And I just learned that marsala is the 2015 color of the year! Which is pretty much a fanciful way of saying “maroon.”

Oi.

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Maybe the fashion gurus are on to something. Perhaps it is the name. When I purchased this Free People Embroidered Fable Dress two years ago, this color was called Mulberry. I like that name. Let’s think of some more.

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Foggy Fire.

Lusting From Afar Red.

Sunset Sangria.

Yes, I like all of those.

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I get more offers to buy this dress than any other item in my closet. The color is discontinued, but honestly, I love the grey color they have in it right now, too. The sweater is an old Anthropologie item I purchased from a sweet reader last winter. They had a a similar sweater this year that is now on sale. I loved that one when I reviewed it and would have picked it up if I did not all ready own and love mine.

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What is your least favorite color to wear? Mine actually isn’t maroon. It is brown. I guess I like cheery colors. But now that I can rename the offenders, I am liking their sultry offerings. Perhaps 2015 is the year I change my ways.

Or perhaps not.

It’s too maroon to tell.

Anthropologie Fall Reviews

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I went to an Anthropologie Holiday Workshop the other day. It was a lot of fun. I plan on combining the two workshops I am going to into one post this year. I have so many posts on backlog that I have to cram everything in. This is what I wore that day (other post with this dress can be found here).

I decided to cram some reviews in at the same time I did the workshop. I also decided to keep the word “cram” twice in two paragraphs. I like that word. I imagine it being said with a twang and anything said with a twang is better. Except for the actual word, “twang.” There is no helping that one. How did this post get so off track? This post contains so many pictures. I apologize for the length of this post, but I did not want to exclude anything or make two posts.

Without further ado, the reviews:

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I saw this knit chemise hanging on the hanger with its grey twin. I have enough grey (please remind me of this post the next time I whine about not having enough grey. It is bound to happen. And, of course, I will deny it). So I decided to try on the wine color.

I thought it was a dress.

But now I am not so sure. Did I inadvertently try on another top without pants? This seems to be a too common occurrence. I tried on the small. It fit fine. I have enough of these types of pieces in my closet, so I passed on it. But I would recommend it (with leggings or skinny jeans if you are 5’4″ and taller, and if you are shorter than 5’4″, I think you will be able to get away with tights. I am 5’6″. I am wearing tights. I do not recommend doing that) if you are looking for an easy layering thermal piece in your closet. I also think the different color at the cuff is a cute touch.

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I saw The Sherbet Handknit Vest and I was intrigued by the loops. I am not a fuzzy sweater type of gal. I remember when my daughter was two, my sister bought her a bright blue fuzzy sweater. She. Would. Not. Take. It. Off. That was the end of me having any influence in her wardrobe.

She must be rubbing off on me. I like this vest, but I do not have enough colors to match this vest in my closet to purchase it.

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This coat. This Mesilla Jacquard Coat is everything (bear with me. This seems to be my phrase of the month). But it is.

The texture. The material. The pattern. The hood. I love it.

You know what would be helpful? If I could remember what size I tried on. I believe it was M/L, but I could be wrong. I know I tried the vest above and this coat in two different sizes. One was an XS/S and one was a M/L. And never shall I know which is which.

I am sorry about my lack of information, naked thighs and bad hair. If I see it in the next store I am in, I will try it on and correct the size issue. I can make no promises on the status of thighs and hair at that time.

If I did not all ready have a similar sweater in almost this exact pattern and color, this would be at the top of my wishlist. But I do (one from long ago and I cannot find its name). I highly recommend this coat. It is gorgeous.

The last picture is me realizing my hair looks ridiculous and my dress might not be a dress afterall. It is good times in the dressing room with me.

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I had lusted after The Risen Sun Sweater Dress online. And I mean lusted. Okay. Maybe I don’t mean lusted. That might be too strong of a word (and image), but I could not wait to see it in real life. My store had two in stock. This is a size small. I am sad to say it is not my favorite. I am not a huge fan of the open weave sweater material. It was a lot of fabric on me. The pattern is fun. But this was just not a love for me. I took it off of my wishlist.

I have seen a lot of girls rock this dress on Instagram so I think this will be an individualized dress decision. Best to try it on to see if it works for your body type.

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This Iguazu Pencil Skirt was another item that had made it to my wishlist when I spotted it online. I wanted it so badly to work. But, alas, it was too long for me and my saddlebags showed much too much. This skirt will be fantastic on the right body shape. I am wearing a size medium. Another item that was removed from my wishlist. Darn.

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I did not have anything to try on with this adorable bunny shirt, called sweetly enough, Hop Along Top, except for the skirt above. I love this shirt. I am wearing a size six. I have very large arms so this type of sleeve is usually a pass for me. It was not the most flattering but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I love the pattern. Who can resist adorable bunnies? I will watch this one for a sale.

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This skirt. This skirt is everything (I did warn you). It has llamas and cheetahs cats or dogs? I cannot figure out the last animal but I do think they are two animals that go so oddly well together.

I also could not figure out the sizing in this skirt. I tried on the medium and the large. I ended up going with the medium. The sweet gals at this Anthropologie generously gave the participants of the holiday workshop 25% off purchase cards. I know! Those girls are everything. I used mine for a few things. This skirt was one of them.

I like to be as confusing as possible. I am wearing two different sweaters in the photos above. The sweater I am wearing in the first picture is the same as the one in the third. It is called The Icehouse Pullover. I added it to my wishlist. I do not have enough grey… sweaters. I need this one. I really liked the fit. I took a medium. The middle picture is The Novelty Pullover on sale (also seen in The Iguazu Pencil Skirt photo). I tried on a medium and it was fine. That one was too busy for me.

What do you think about the headband/turban? I ended up purchasing it and giving it to my daughter. I may or may not borrow it. I am not sure if I look silly in it. More silly than a woman in her late thirties wearing a skirt with prideful llamas and resting cheecatdogs.

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I loved The Tiled Amethyst Dress when I first tried it on. I am wearing a small in the picture. Even afterwards I was thinking about it. As I waited for the paint to dry (how often do you get to use that phrase in its correct form?) on the project I was working on for the workshop, I scanned through these pictures. And I noticed this v in the front of the pattern for the first time. This really bothers me. For this reason this dress did not make it to my wishlist.

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I have a confession. When I bought this jacket (post wearing it here), I also purchased this sweater. It is called The Downy Cocoon Cardi. I wanted to see which one I liked better. I knew I would return one. Hands down the jacket won. Arms all in. The jacket. This is an XS/S. The material is gorgeous. But it is very delicate and I found it to be too bulky on my frame. This was removed from my wishlist. I did have the sweet woman checking me out take a picture of it as I was returning it so I could show the fit. I am weird.

The girls there loved this sweater, so I suggest trying this one on to see if it will work for you. I think it can be great on the right person.

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Let’s just get to it. Everything. Yep. Anthropologie’s Fanned Flora Dress was the other item of clothing I purchased with my 25% off. The dress that I actually bought I did not get a picture of. (I tried on three). I was in a hurry. The first two pictures (same dress) are a small (and the size I purchased) and the bottom one is a medium. This is something that I highly recommend going to the store and trying on in person. Every single dress had a different pattern placement. I much prefer the pattern not next to the face (as is shown in the small. The medium has the busy pattern on the neckline. I do not think that placement is as flattering). The dress I purchased is a mixture of these two. It has a plain top but the shoulder and middle on down are full of pattern.

This dress has such pretty colors. The blue is vibrant. I think it would look good belted, too (my store had the mannequin dressed that way). I prefer the loose swing dress look.

Have you tried on anything good lately? Anything in your wishlist worth sharing? Have you ever tried on a top and thought it was a dress or vice versa? Did you share those pictures on the internet?

*this post contains affiliate links. Clicking on a link will result in a small commission for the research of the mating habits of cheecatdogs this blog.

These pictures were edited using VSCO’s C1 filter on level 3.

Christmas in Clothes

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So, The Nutcracker? Yeah. Call me an uneducated ditzy fool, but ??? I guess I was completely oblivious to the fact that ballets have NO TALKING in them!!!

“Hi. I’m Jenni. I can’t sit through two hours of nobody talking.”

I am a three year old.

This is payback for all of those times my children would not stop talking and we would play the “silent game.”

Those ballerinas were all, “Silent game this!”

Only without actually saying that.

Okay. Okay. It wasn’t completely silent. There was a live orchestra which was fabulous. I love an orchestra. I took my son down to the pit to watch them set up. That was my favorite part. And his, too.

I have taken my children to musicals all of their lives. I guess I just was not prepared for the ballet. This is odd, because my mother has been dancing since she was a child. Pointe and everything. Heck, I even took consistent classes for eight years (don’t look so shocked). My mother has since moved on to hip hop, but ballet has always been a part of my life. Of course, I had not gone to see it since I was a little girl.

There were parts of it that were incredible. So gorgeous and pretty. Truly breathtaking. It is amazing what some talented people can do with their bodies.

But in the future I will know.

I am too immature to go.

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And yes, I am a total fraud in my ballerina dress (also worn here).

Silently sobbing.

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This was what I was going to wear to the ballet.

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I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that almost every single person was dressed up for the ballet. This is such a big difference from going to a play on Broadway, where only half of the people are in evening attire. This was my other favorite thing about the ballet. The ambience and the outfits.

Only I did not wear this to the ballet.

I wore this on Christmas Eve to host my family. Except, I was cooking all day, and I forgot to take my apron off until after dinner! So, apron + boots = disheveled crazy. Kind of like this post.

The skirt is my Emeline Skirt formerly worn here. And the top is my Peony Applique Pullover, previously worn here.

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Let’s sidestep chasse’ away from the hot topic of ballet and move into a topic I am much more comfortable with.

Gnomes.

And dressing like them.

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I do not know why, but this outfit does remind me a bit of the little fellows. Perhaps it is the cheerful colors. Perhaps it is because I am surrounded by gnomes. Perhaps it is because I had just seen The Nutcracker the night before and I was delirious.

I paired my Anthropologie Threaded Tides Dress (purchased for $10) with my red cardigan from many years ago. I remember I first bought this cardigan, because it was called Guinevere and that is one of my favorite names in the world. It is like “Jennifer” (derived from Guinevere) only more pleasant to say in a lilting way.

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The belt is a recent clearance purchase from Anthropologie called Layered Corset Belt. The boots are vintage from the flea market. The white sweater tights are from Nordstrom Rack. The earrings are from Modcloth.

What did you wear this week? Have you ever played the silent game? Are you “winning?”*

* Winning this game does not result from one being silent. Winning this game occurs the moment you convince someone else to actually play the game.

Tip: Don’t ever play against a ballerina.

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!